In PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL, Captain Jack Sparrow (played by Johnny Depp) learns what kindness is through Will Turner (played by Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (played by Keira Knightley) while Captain Barbosa (played by Geoffrey Rush) longs for redemption. Join us as we discuss these Christian themes and so much more on the Finding Christ In Cinema podcast.

For your convenience you will find each podcast segment at the time referenced below:

00:00:00 – Introduction and Previous Episode Recap

00:03:14 – Movie Discussion

00:24:20 – Christian Themes in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL

00:52:10 – Upcoming

Curse of the Black Pearl Key Texts

Let these passages be your guide as you watch PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL with your fellow rapscallions and beloved swashbucklers.

Isaiah 53:5 NASB

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed.

Romans 2:4 NLT

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

Captain Barbosa and the Longing for Redemption

When Captain Hector Barbosa and his crew stole the cursed Aztec treasure, they didn’t anticipate how harsh the curse would be. Food and drink no longer filled them, and the pleasures of this life no longer satiated them. In the moonlight, they are revealed as the decaying corpses that they really are.

But Captain Barbosa doesn’t want this for his crew. He wants them to feel life and to live it to the fullest. He has, therefore, set out on a mission to lift the eponymous curse. Unfortunately, they hit a snag when the last gold coin is being withheld by Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, and Elizabeth Swann.

The bigger setback, though, is Barbosa’s decision to continue leading his crew on this forsaken mission. They only want to lift the curse so they can return to the sinful lives they’ve led this whole time. They only want to consume and be filled forever more.

What separates Jack Sparrow from Hector Barbosa, then, is that Jack intentionally bears the curse of undeath – a kind of wretched immortality – so that he can properly fight Barbosa and save William and Elizabeth’s lives.

Jack Sparrow and his Examples of Kindness

As noble as Jack Sparrow is, though, he is still isn’t a pillar of society. He’s a playful trickster, a con man, a philanderer, and a hedonist. Despite these minor character flaws (at least the film treats them as “minor”), we can still sympathize with him. This sympathy begins when Jack saves Elizabeth from drowning.

Elizabeth returns the favor by trying to protect him from being hanged in the beginning. Though he manipulates her kindness into an escape attempt, he is still affected by it. He’s further affected by Will Turner’s kindness when Will lets him out of prison. These examples of kindness work their way on Jack throughout the film.

The most notable example of kindness toward Jack is Will and Elizabeth both rescuing him from the hangman’s noose. Will and Elizabeth both act as intercessors on Jack’s behalf, and he is allowed to go free – much to the comedic chagrin of Governor Swann and Commodore Norrington.

In the end, Jack escapes and is still as much of a rascal as he ever was, but these examples of kindness stick with Jack throughout the film series. It’s interesting to see how it all folds out, but more on that next time.

Finding Christ In Cinema is the show where we discover Christian themes in movies past and present. Join us and together we’ll dig deeper into the silver-screen classics of yesteryear as well as the box-office hits of today. Brought to you by the Great Commission Transmission Network. View the complete show notes – including links to articles discussed – by clicking here.

Use the audio player at the top of this article to listen to the podcast, or use the links below for other convenient ways to hear FCC.

About Brenden Taylor

Brenden is a graduate student pursuing his Master in Theatre Arts degree with Regent University. He is an educational assistant and tutor by day and a theatre practitioner by night. You can find him live-tweeting his favorite movies on Twitter @LeviTheBeliever or posting poetry and unsolicited opinions at thebookofbrenden.com

Hey guys, great job on CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL! I love the production design on this film, it stands out really well.

I also appreciate the theme of God’s kindness repeating itself on the show so much. For some people, kindness seems to be in their nature. For the rest of us, it takes some effort. It’s so important to have God’s kindness drilled into our mind so we can remember to follow His example and pass it on to the world.